"A Little Cruise Never Hurt Anyone"
[Previous post: "Plans and Options", written by the imaginative Brian Matthews]
=-=
Setting: USS ANUBIS, Bridge
Lea watched as the bridge became a little less crowded with the
departure of the Derek, Mattias and Elan. The CMO quickly picked up on the
lingering gaze of her friend. Susan looked like she had watched a part of
herself walk away from her. This intrigued Lea although the CMO could
guess as to the reason for this.
"Susan?" Lea said in a whispered voice, "I'm sure he will be alright."
"He!" the Cns replied with a quirky smile. "I'm worried about all three
of them."
"Sure you are," the CMO added with a clear tone of sarcasm.
"Lea, they are heading down to the lowest deck on the ANUBIS," Susan
pointed out. "Given that there is no life support, we should *all* be
worried."
Sabrina stepped up and joined the two whispering women. The CO had not
been able to hear what had been said, but the looks on their faces
spoke volume. "Doctor, Counsellor, is there a problem?"
"I guess it all depends on you’re your point of view," Lea replied
dryly. "Pravat and Uxtar are out looking for weapons to defend the ship and
crew. Derek, Mattias, Elan and Elliot are heading to the lower desks to
find us some power. The majority of the crew is in complete darkness
and we may be stuck here for a long time."
Akira and Elliot glanced at one another, each happy that they had not
been involved in this part of the plan. The thought of heading down into
the dark abyss that the ANUBIS had become had been frightening.
"As you see Captain," Susan grinned. "No problems at all. We have
everything well under control."
Sabrina seemed unimpressed by the humorous attempt to make light of
their predicament. "Doctor, I need you to do something for us," the
Captain said. Normally Lea would have been more than happy to step up and
help. The problem had been that this time there had been something in the
way the CO had said it. Like the distant rumbling of a storm the CMO
could feel that this was going to be something big.
"I'll do my best Captain," Lea cautiously replied. Having been promoted
to full Lieutenant had been nice. It had opened up a great many doors,
but at the same time it had increased the CMO's responsibilities.
Before the CO even started to explain Lea had felt the burden on her
shoulders increase.
"Since there is no way to know how long we will be without power, we
need to plan ahead. The air issue will be partially resolved when the
ship out there leaves. If they want to believe that this is an island, I
do not wish to do anything to upset this vision. So we need to have
Captain Kattarihanna and her crew leave," the CO explained.
"So you wish for me to go out and find a way to have them go on their
way?" Lea asked. The CMO had hoped that this would be as simple as it
had sounded. Those hopes though were quickly eradicated when Sabrina
gently shook her head.
"If we are to plan for a long term stay, we will need provisions and
learn more about where it is we are. Therefore I would like for you and
Counsellor Mei to go onboard the BLACK PANTHER," the CO said."
"Just the two of us?" Susan asked in a panic. The Cns had not seen
these Caitians but she had picked up on Uxtar's distrust of them. That
alone had been enough to put Susan on the defensive when dealing with these
sea faring felines.
The CO seemed stunned for a moment. "Of course not Counsellor, I am not
that mean. I will have Uxtar accompany you as well as Lt. Maya. Should
you come across something related to our current energy crisis she will
be very useful."
Just as Sabrina said these words Uxtar and Pravat returned to the
bridge each carrying a wide array of weapons. The sight had been almost
funny, the two warriors looking like a pair of children heading on some
imaginary excursion.
"I think you forgot a few things," Susan teased.
"Nah," Pravat replied without missing a beat. "Kes refused to give up
her Bat'leth and I was not in the mood to fight her for it."
Not wasting any more time the CO approached Uxtar. "I need you to
accompany Doctor Summers and Counsellor Mei. They will be accepting the
offer made by Captain Kattarihanna to take them to the nearest port. Lt.
Maya will also be with you in search of clues to our power crisis."
"Captain," Uxtar said with all of the respect he owed to the ANUBIS'
CO. "I cannot do as you ask. I do not trust them and this may lead me to
say or do something that could jeopardize all of our safety."
Certain that this would escalade into something larger, Pravat stepped
in. "Captain, with your permission I will take Uxtar's place. They may
be more receptive to having another Human instead of a Troll," the MCO
said with a grin. The Sec/Tac immediately regretted having told the
Marine how the Caitians had labelled the Hirogen.
"Very well," Sabrina quickly agreed. The CO suspected that her having
mentioned that Maya would also be there might had helped in the Marine
volunteering.
=-=
"Where is Captain Rikar?" Katt asked. The absence of the redhead had
been impossible to miss.
"She will be staying on the island with the rest of our people," Pravat
said. His hand had never ventured far from the blade that he had
brought along with him. Uxtar's distrust had made the Marine wary and the
CO's request that the weapons remain unseen had made the task even more
challenging.
"Very well, welcome onboard and make yourselves comfortable" the female
Caitian purred as she turned towards her First Mate. "Gatito, release
the sails and let's get going. We have lost enough time as is already."
=-=
An unseen figure hid in the shadows. Information and knowledge were
required to better understand these beings. Uxtar had made his feelings
clear, but had based them on first impressions. That had not been enough,
not for her, but it had warranted a closer inspection. A great deal had
already been learned from the content of the BALCK PANTHER's hold. The
smell of spices filled the air to the point where it made breathing
almost impossible. Yet the figure hiding in the shadows remained unseen
and unheard.
Several members of the crew had passed right in front of her and had
noticed nothing unlike her. The way they walked. The way they talked. All
of this and much more had revealed much about *what* they were. Sabrina
and Uxtar had accepted them as what they had appeared to be; small
Caitians. The figure hiding in the shadows though had dismissed this based
on her knowledge of the race. They may have looked like Caitians, but
they were by far not of that race.
From below the main deck the hidden figure listened to the sounds
around her. The cracking wood told that the ship had begun to move. The
sounds of footsteps informed her that two people had moved to the edge. The
whispered voices from beyond the walls hinted to some dark plan being concocted.
=-=
Maya looked back to the nearly submerged ANUBIS with sadness. Never in
her life had she expected to see the ship in such a condition. Pravat
quickly moved up next to the CSciO and placed his hand on her shoulder.
"Don't worry, everything will be alright. By the time we get back they
will have likely found a way to get the ship up and running. So just
think about this as a harmless sightseeing cruise."
=-=
Lt. Lea Summers 2006 post #254
Stardate: 61036.1300
Setting: BLACK PANTHER, Main Deck
Stardate: 61036.1320
Setting: BLACK PANTHER, Cargo Hold
Stardate: 61036.1325
Setting: BLACK PANTHER, Main Deck
Stardate: 61036.1320
Tiffany Rose {lady_tiffany_rose@mail.com}
Chief Medical Officer
USS ANUBIS
